AutoCAD DevBlog

Adding Custom Menu to AutoCAD Application Frame

By Madhukar Moogala

AutoCAD 2016 introduced a new class AdApplicationFrame which has exposed a bunch of API to access the application frame.

In this blog post we will see how we can create and add our custom menu replacing the existing ‘MENUBAR’.

With help of AdApplicationFrame instance we can do our major MFC kind of UI elements in our AutoCAD.

Adding Custom menu:

  void testAddCustomMenu()

  {

  Acad::ErrorStatus error = Acad::eOk;

  AdApplicationFrame* pNewAppFrame = acedGetApplicationFrame();

  pNewAppFrame != NULL ? error = Acad::eOk : error = Acad::eNullPtr;

  HMENU hDefaultMenu = NULL;  /*Needed to restore to Default ACAD Menu*/

  HMENU hNewMenu = NULL;

  CString strDirName;

  HMODULE hm = NULL;

 

  /*Switch Acad Resource to Our's*/

  CAcModuleResourceOverride hResources(AcadFrameDLL.ModuleResourceInstance());

  if (eOkVerify(error))

  {

  /*To retrieve pointer to Menubar*/

  AdMenuBar* pMenuBar = NULL;

  pMenuBar = pNewAppFrame->GetMenuBar();

  pMenuBar != NULL ? error = Acad::eOk : error = Acad::eNullPtr;

  if (eOkVerify(error))

  {

 

  hDefaultMenu = pMenuBar->GetMenuHandle();

  if (hDefaultMenu != 0)

  {

 

  strDirName = _T("D:\\Temp\\AcadFrame\\x64\\Debug\\madAcadFrame.arx");

  hm = GetModuleHandle(strDirName);

  if (hm != NULL)

  {

  // Set custom menu

  hNewMenu = LoadMenu(hm, MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDR_MENU1));

  if (hNewMenu != NULL)

  {

  bool bOk = pMenuBar->SetMenuHandle(hNewMenu);

  if(bOk)

  pMenuBar->UpdateMenu();

  else

  error = (Acad::ErrorStatus)Acad::eFailed;

  }

  else

  {

  error = Acad::eNullHandle;

  }

  // To Revert back to default menu

  /* if (pMenuBar->SetMenuHandle(hDefaultMenu))

  pMenuBar->UpdateMenu();

  else

  error = (Acad::ErrorStatus)Acad::eFailed;*/

  }

  else

  error = Acad::eNullHandle;

 

 

  }

  else

  error = Acad::eNullHandle;

  }

  else

  error = Acad::eUnrecoverableErrors;

 

  /*We will enable MenuBar visibility*/

  if(!pNewAppFrame->IsMenuBarVisible())

  pNewAppFrame->EnableMenuBar(true);

  }

  else

  error = Acad::eNullPtr;

 

  acutPrintf(_T("\n%s"), acadErrorStatusText(error));

  }

 

Getting User Credentials:

If we user logged in to AutoCAD with A360, we can get user ID and user name using following API’s

Earlier it was possible to get same information with CLI ONLINEUSERID and ONLINEUSERNAME

void getUserCredentials()

{

Acad::ErrorStatus error = Acad::eOk;

AdApplicationFrame* pNewAppFrame = acedGetApplicationFrame();

pNewAppFrame != NULL ? error = Acad::eOk : error = Acad::eNullPtr;

if (eOkVerify(error))

{

CString userId;

CString userName;

 

int bOK = -1;

/*Check if user Logged in to A360*/

if (pNewAppFrame->IsLoggedIn())

{

/*Same can be retrieved using ONLINEUSERID and ONLINEUSERNAME*/

bOK = pNewAppFrame->GetLoginUserId(userId.GetBuffer(BUFSIZE), BUFSIZE);

acutPrintf(_T("\n user id : [%s]"), userId);

userId.ReleaseBuffer();

bOK = pNewAppFrame->GetLoginUserName(userName.GetBuffer(BUFSIZE), BUFSIZE);

acutPrintf(_T("\n user name : [%s]"), userName);

userName.ReleaseBuffer();

int server = pNewAppFrame->GetServer();

acutPrintf(_T("\n Server Port : [%d]"), server);

 

}

 

}

}

Managed Debugging Assistant 'DisconnectedContext' error

By Marat Mirgaleev

Issue

I start an external application from my custom command and wait until it finishes:

      Dim ExternalApp As New System.Diagnostics.Process()

      ExternalApp.StartInfo.FileName = "myApp.exe"

      ExternalApp.Start()

      ExternalApp.WaitForExit()

The problem is that after 10-15 minutes a message appears:

Managed Debugging Assistant 'DisconnectedContext' has detected a problem in 'C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2014\acad.exe'.

Additional Information: Context 0x163158 is disconnected. No proxy will be used to service the request on the COM component. This may cause corruption or data loss. To avoid this problem, please ensure that all contexts/apartments stay alive until the application is completely done with the RuntimeCallableWrappers that represent COM components that live inside them.

After that AutoCAD becomes unstable and may crash.

Could you let me know why this happens and how to solve it?

Solution

In the code snippet above the WaitForExit() call is holding up the main thread, so AutoCAD cannot dispatch messages. This is going to cause all sorts of problems (e.g. Windows will “think” that the app is hung and replace the main window with its own shadow copy).

You should come up with a solution that does not block the main thread or, the very least, you should run a message loop that dispatches messages.

If you would like to do some background processing in AutoCAD, this link may help: Use Thread for background processing

Plant SDK: For an entity in the Ortho View, how can I find the same piece of equipment in the 3D Model?

By Marat Mirgaleev

Issue

I would like to let my users to select an entity in the Ortho view in AutoCAD Plant 3D and find some properties of this selected equipment:

But it seems that to do this I need to find the corresponding object in the 3D model first:

How can I do this?

Solution

Unfortunately, the current Plant SDK does not provide this functionality. But a good news is that there is an undocumented class that is safe to use for this purpose.

Before we start coding, we need to find some sample drawings which we can use for testing. Let it be the out-of-the-box SampleProject with its Area1_Plan drawing:

and the 3D model in 1-PE-001 drawing:

Screenshots from these files can be found at the top of this post.

Let’s start from selecting an entity in the Ortho view. When you test the code, do not forget to switch from PAPER space to MODEL using the button shown on the first screenshot (or you just can’t select anything).

As soon as we have the selected entity’s ObjectId, we can call the undocumented method

     Autodesk.ProcessPower.Drawings2d.PnPDwg2dUtil.GetModelObjectId().

It is located in an assembly called C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2014\PLNT3D\PnPDwg2dUtil.dll and, obviously, we need to add a reference to it from our Visual Studio project.

This is a code snippet which demonstrates usage of the GetModelObjectId() method. It defines a new command called “FOTM” (From Ortho To Model):

    // From an entity in Ortho, looking for this entity in the Model.

    // Using the out-of-the-box SampleProject for tests:

    //   Ortho: Area1_Plan

    //   Model: 1-PE-001

    // In Area1_Plan, you need to switch from Paper to Model,

    //   otherwise you can't select anything in it.

    //===============================================================

    [CommandMethod("FOTM")]

    public void FromOrthoToModel()

    {

      // To test, select an entity in an Ortho drawing

      Document doc = Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument;

      PromptEntityResult selectedEntity = doc.Editor.GetEntity(

                                  "\nSelect an entity to annotate:");

      if (selectedEntity.Status != PromptStatus.OK)

        return;

 

      // GetModelObjectId() is an undocumented method to find

      //   the corresponding entity in the Piping Model

      //=============================================================

      Autodesk.ProcessPower.Drawings2d.MdObjectId orthoId =

            Autodesk.ProcessPower.Drawings2d.PnPDwg2dUtil.

                  GetModelObjectId(selectedEntity.ObjectId,

                                   selectedEntity.ObjectId.Database);

 

      // In this orthoId we have a drawing GUID and PpObjectId:

      Autodesk.ProcessPower.DataLinks.PpObjectId ppId =

                                                 orthoId.PrjObjectId;

      string dwgGUID = orthoId.DwgGUID;

 

      // Find the entity's ObjectId in the Model drawing.

      // Note: To do this you have to have the Model drawing open.

      Autodesk.ProcessPower.DataLinks.DataLinksManager dlm =

                         PlantApplication.CurrentProject.

                            ProjectParts["Piping"].DataLinksManager; 

      ObjectId oid = dlm.MakeAcDbObjectId(ppId);

 

      // THAT'S IT:

      doc.Editor.WriteMessage("\n oid=" + oid.ToString());

 

    } // FromOrthoToModel()

Plant SDK: How to programmatically change the “Status” property of a Butt Weld?

By Marat Mirgaleev

Issue

I managed to find all the butt welds in the drawing, they are kept inside the Autodesk.ProcessPower.PnP3dObjects.Connector class. But I can’t find the “Status” property in these objects. How can I access this property and change its value?

Solution

The “Status” property and many others are stored in a SubPart of the Connector object. So, what we need to do is to iterate through these SubParts and find one of the WeldSubPart type. Here is a sample (some error checking is omitted for brevity):

[CommandMethod("UpSt", CommandFlags.UsePickSet)]

public void UpdateStatus_ShortVersion()

{

  try

  {

    // Make sure you pre-selected a Connector of Weld type!

    PromptSelectionResult selResult = acApp.DocumentManager.

                          MdiActiveDocument.Editor.SelectImplied();

    SelectionSet selSet = selResult.Value;

    ObjectId[] objIds = selSet.GetObjectIds();

    ObjectId weldObjID = objIds[0];

 

    Database db =acApp.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument.Database;

    using (Transaction tr =

                          db.TransactionManager.StartTransaction())

    {

      PnP3D.Connector wld = tr.GetObject( weldObjID,

                OpenMode.ForRead, false, true) as PnP3D.Connector;

 

      DataLinksManager dlm = PlantApplication.CurrentProject.

                          ProjectParts["Piping"].DataLinksManager;

      PartsRepository projectParts = DataLinksManager3d.

                          Get3dManager(dlm).ProjectPartsRepository;

 

      PnP3D.SubPartCollection subPartColl = wld.AllSubParts;

      int index = 1; // NOTE: We start from 1, not from 0!

      foreach (PnP3D.SubPart sp in subPartColl)

      {

        if (sp is PnP3D.WeldSubPart)

        {

          int rowId = dlm.FindAcPpRowId( dlm.MakeAcPpObjectId(

                                              weldObjID, index ));

          Autodesk.ProcessPower.PartsRepository.Part partWld =

                                      projectParts.FindPart(rowId);

 

          // To set properties we need to call BeginEdit()

          //   and EndEdit()

          partWld.BeginEdit();

          partWld["Status"] = "Existing";

          partWld.EndEdit();

        }

        index++;

      } // foreach subpart

      dlm.AcceptChanges();

      tr.Commit();

    } // using

  }

  catch (System.Exception e)

  {

    acApp.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument.Editor.WriteMessage(

                                                    e.ToString());

  }

} // UpdateStatus_ShortVersion()

Plant 3D: How can I control Report Creator’s execution?

By Marat Mirgaleev

Issue

Does Report Creator have any command line options?

Solution

Here are the Report Creator command line options:

/CONFIG <Filename>	· Specify report configuration file to use.
/DWG <filename1[,filename2,filename3, …]>	· Specify the drawings to include in the report.
/HIDDEN	· Hides the main dialog and generates the report(s) or preview. · If you don’t specify this, then we show the main dialog with all the other settings filled in, like report configuration file, drawings to select, and which project.
/PREVIEW	· Show report preview.
/PROJECT <Filename>	· Specify the Plant project file to use.
/QUIET	· Be quiet. Turns off error dialogs.

How do I specify that a row in the table is a Header or Title or Data?

By Marat Mirgaleev

Issue

Can I set an arbitrary row in a table as a Header? Or Title?

Solution

Yes, it can be done.

The type of a row can be set using the CellRange.Style property.

The CellRange for a row can be obtained with this call: Table.Cells[ rowNumber, -1 ].

There are predefined styles for title, header and data cells, called "_TITLE", "_HEADER", "_DATA".

Here is a code sample:

    [CommandMethod("_STRS")]

    public static void setTableRowStyle()

    {

      Document doc = Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument;

      Editor ed = doc.Editor;

      try

      {

        PromptEntityOptions opts1 =

          new PromptEntityOptions("\nSelect a Table: ");

        opts1.SetRejectMessage("This is not a Table.");

        opts1.AddAllowedClass(typeof(Table), false);

        opts1.AllowNone = false;

        PromptEntityResult res1 = ed.GetEntity(opts1);

        if (res1.Status != PromptStatus.OK)

          return;

 

        using (Transaction tr =

                           doc.TransactionManager.StartTransaction())

        {

          Table tb =

             tr.GetObject(res1.ObjectId, OpenMode.ForWrite) as Table;

 

          const int ROW_TO_SET_HEADER = 3, ROW_TO_SET_TITLE = 4,

                    ROW_TO_SET_DATA = 1;

          tb.Cells[ROW_TO_SET_HEADER, -1].Style = "_HEADER";

          tb.Cells[ROW_TO_SET_TITLE,  -1].Style = "_TITLE";

          tb.Cells[ROW_TO_SET_DATA,   -1].Style = "_DATA";

 

          tr.Commit();

        }

      }

      catch (System.Exception e)

      {

        ed.WriteMessage("\nERROR: " + e.ToString());

      }

    } // End of setTableRowStyle()

Plant SDK: How can I obtain the current drawing's ID?

By Marat Mirgaleev

Issue

I can easily find the filename of the current drawing, but not its ID. Can you help me, please?

Solution

You can find the current PnPProjectDrawing object in the list of the current project's drawings, then get the Id property of this PnPProjectDrawing:

    [CommandMethod("FiID")]

    public static void FindTheDwgId()

    {

      Editor ed =Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument.Editor;

      int foundId = -1;

      Project prj =PnPProjectUtils.GetProjectPartForCurrentDocument();

      System.Collections.Generic.List<PnPProjectDrawing> dwgList =

                                             prj.GetPnPDrawingFiles();

      foreach (PnPProjectDrawing dwg in dwgList)

      {       

        ed.WriteMessage(string.Format("\n--Filename: {0}, Id: {1}",

                                       dwg.AbsoluteFileName, dwg.Id));

        if( String.Equals( Application.DocumentManager.

                                  MdiActiveDocument.Database.Filename,

                        dwg.ResolvedFilePath,

                        StringComparison.InvariantCultureIgnoreCase))

        {

          foundId = dwg.Id;

          break;

        }

      }

      ed.WriteMessage(string.Format(

                 "\nThe Id of the current drawing is: {0}", foundId));

    } // FindTheDwgId()

 

Plant SDK: Sample of PnPTable.Select()

By Marat Mirgaleev

Issue

What if I want to apply a selection filter to PnPTable.Select()?

Solution

One of the PnPTable.Select() overloads accepts a filter string as a parameter in a form of the SQLite's SELECT-WHERE clause. Please, note the syntax of the expression: if the field name contains spaces, it must be enclosed in quotes. The value is enclosed in apostrophes (you can find the escape sequences description in the SQLite documentation, if you search it online).

In this sample we are trying to use the PnPDrawings table to filter on the "Dwg Name" field:

  PnPTable tbl = db.Tables["PnPDrawings"];

  const string where = "\"Dwg Name\"='PIP-01-102.dwg'";

  PnPRow[] rows = tbl.Select(where);

When using Editor.SelectAll(), how can I filter entities on frozen layers out? (.NET)

By Marat Mirgaleev

Issue

If I call Editor.SelectAll(), will it return only entities currently visible on the screen?

Solution

No, Editor.SelectAll() returns also entities, which are placed on frozen layers. In our program we need to check whether an entity's layer is frozen. Here is a sample:

[CommandMethod("_SANF")]

public static void SelectAllExceptFrozenLayers()

{

  Document doc = Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument;

  Editor ed = doc.Editor;

  PromptSelectionResult selection = ed.SelectAll();

  if (selection.Status == PromptStatus.OK)

  {

    using (Transaction tr =

                doc.Database.TransactionManager.StartTransaction())

    {

      foreach (ObjectId id in selection.Value.GetObjectIds())

      {

        Entity ent = (Entity)tr.GetObject(id, OpenMode.ForRead);

        LayerTableRecord layer = (LayerTableRecord)tr.GetObject(

                                    ent.LayerId, OpenMode.ForRead);

        if (!layer.IsFrozen)

          ed.WriteMessage("\n{0}", ent.ToString());

      }

      tr.Commit();

    } // using

  } // if

} // SelectAllExceptFrozenLayers()

Entity.GeometricExtents throws an exception (eNullExtents)

By Marat Mirgaleev

Issue

When I calculate the extents of entities in a drawing, for some entities an exception is thrown with the "eNullExtents" message. What is wrong?

Solution

This exception occurs for an insert of an empty block or for an empty block attribute. It is "as designed", it's just a notification to the developer about an empty object. An easy solution is to add a separate catch block for this particular exception:

      Extents3d extents;

      try

      {

        extents = pEntity.GeometricExtents;

      }

      catch (Autodesk.AutoCAD.Runtime.Exception ex)

      {

        if (ex.Message == "eNullExtents")

        // The entity is empty and has no extents

        {

          // TODO. We can simply skip this entity...

        }

        else

        //  something is wrong ...

          TODO!

      }